1980:  Mike White, a touring pro from Beckley,  led after every round in winning the West Virginia Open at Fincastle Country Club near Bluefield.   White took command with two even par rounds of  70 and then added a final 72 to post a 212 total for a four-stroke victory.  His margin would have been larger except for a double bogey on the final hole when he four-putted for a six.  That was the only hole in the tournament that he needed more than two putts.  White, who was visiting relatives in Beckley during a break from the tour and entered the Open, earned a $1,200 check.   Pro Darrell Kestner shot a 69 on the final day to share second place with 1977 Open champion Barry Fleming at 216.  Both received $825.   Kestner, a state native and former Fincastle assistant, works at a club in New Jersey.  Touring pro and former Open champion Barney Thompson was 10 over par for 15 holes in the first round and walked in disgust off  the course.  Fincastle club champion Mark Plymale was low amateur at 223.  Leaders by rounds: first, White 70, by one; second, White 140, by five.

Mike White, Beckley                                      70-70-72–212
Barry Fleming, Parkersburg                        71-74-71–216
Darrell Kestner, Gary                                    77-70-69–216
Jim Jamieson, White Sulphur Springs     74-72-71–217
Benny Bowles, Oak Hill                                71-76-71–218
Scott Davis, Wheeling                                   72-78-70–220
Vic Sorrell, Bluefield                                      73-73-74–220
Billy Capps, Beckley                                      73-74-74–221
Tommy Byrd, Bluefield                                  75-75-72–222
Gary Blake, Parkersburg                              75-72-76–223
a-Mark Plymale, Bluefield                             81-72-70–223

 

1981:  Amateur Matt Cooke of Beckley grabbed control of the Open with a 67 in the second round and breezed to an eight-stroke victory at Berry Hills Country Club near Charleston.  Cooke, a 20-year-old senior on the Marshall University golf  team, ended with a 213 total for 54 holes.  He made six birdies, including a 30-foot putt on the 13th green, during his 67 round on the par 70 course.  “”I started hitting the ball off the putter real solid.  My putting is rarely this good.  It was just one of those days — my best round of the year,” Cooke said.  Benny Bowles finished second in the Open with a 221 total and earned the top pro prize of $1,200.  Bowles broke his putter in the final round when he stubbed it in the ground but fortunately had a spare putter in his bag.  Pros Barry Fleming and Linden Meade tied for third at 222 and both received $825.   Pro Robert Harris of Oak Hill made a hole-in-one on the 159-yard 12th hole with a seven-iron during the first round. Young amateur David Wallace Jr, 18, shot a 71 for the first round lead on his home course.  Leaders by rounds: first, Wallace 71, by one; second, Cooke 142, by three.

a-Matt Cooke, Beckley                        75-67-71–213
Benny Bowles, Kopperston               73-72-76–221
Barry Fleming, Charleston                 81-70-71–222
Linden Meade, Chapmanville           74-78-70–222
Darrell Kestner, Gary                          73-72-78–223
Randy Hillis, New Cumberland        79-71-73–223
a-Kirk Nolte, Wheeling                       73-75-75–223
a-David Wallace Jr., Charleston       71-78-76–225
Lee Martina, Beckley                           72-78-76–226
a-Danny Warren Jr., Beckley              78-74-76–228

 

1982:  Scott Davis staged a brilliant comeback in his hometown by firing a 67 in the final round at Wheeling Country Club to win the West Virginia Open.   Davis, an assistant pro at a Zanesville (Ohio) club,  improved every round from 75 to 70 to 67 in posting a 212 total.  He beat out second round co-leader Linden Meade by two strokes in taking the $1,200 first prize.  Davis, who trailed by three strokes starting the last round, hit 17 of 18 greens in notching his 34-33–67 score on the hilly par 70 Wheeling course.  He birdied the first hole,  parred the next eight holes and made two more birdies on the back nine.  “”I played really well but I was tentative with my putter.  I just couldn’t hit it firmly,” Davis said.   He added the Open title to his 1978 West Virginia Amateur title that he won before turning pro.  Meade, who had a 69 in the second round to share the lead with pro James Ulozas, carded a final round 72 for a 214 total and went home $900 richer.  Ulozas had a 76 on the final day to finish at 218.  Pro Dick Wedzik shot a 67 with five birdies in the first round. Leaders by rounds: first, Wedzik 67, by two; second, Meade and Ulozas 142s.

Scott Davis, Zanesville, Ohio             75-70-67–212
Linden Meade, Chapmanville           73-69-72–214
a-Chip Yanen, Moundsville                70-73-72–215
a-Jay Guthrie, Wheeling                     73-74-70–217
Hamp Auld, Charleston                      76-70-72–218
Mark Cunningham, Parkersburg      71-73-74–218
James Ulozas, Parkersburg             69-73-76–218
Gary Blake, Belpre, Ohio                    70-75-74–219
Dick Wedzik, Bridgeport                     67-76-76–219
John Bailey, Weirton                           72-72-75–219

 

1983:  Amateur Jim Fankhauser withstood a 2 1/2-hour rain delay and the play of pro John Ross to capture the 50th West Virginia Open at Parkersburg Country Club.  Fankhauser, a PCC member, shot three consistent rounds of 70, 71 and 71 for a 212 total and a three-stroke victory.  The leaders had finished five holes in the final round when lightning and heavy rain caused a long delay. When play .resumed, Fankhauser led Ross by one stroke after nine holes and by three strokes after 14 holes. Then Fankhauser, who had gone 29 holes without a bogey, missed the green on the 15th hole and three-putted for a double bogey six.  Ross birdied the 16th hole to trail by just a stroke.  Fankhauser answered the challenge by making a birdie on 17 and a par on 18.  “”I really felt the heat, especially after he (Ross) made birdie two on No. 16.  That made me nervous but it also made me realize I couldn’t just coast in,” Fankhauser said.  Ross finished with a 73 for a 215 total and collected the top pro prize of $1,200.  Mike Rothwell, a student at Wake Forest, and Denver Rawlings were both in contention but shot 77s in the final round.  Pro Dazzy Vance aced the 119-yard fifth hole with a nine-iron.  Leaders by rounds: first, Fankhauser and Rothwell 70s; second, Rothwell 140, by one.

a-Jim Fankhauser, Vienna               70-71-71–212
John Ross, Princeton                       71-71-73–215
a-Mike Rothwell, Vienna                   70-70-77–217
a-Denver Rawlings, Charleston     72-69-77–218
Hamp Auld, Charleston                    75-73-73–221
Matt Cooke, Parkersburg                  75-72-74–221
a-Harold Payne, Scott Depot           73-72-77–222
Linden Meade, Chapmanville         76-74-73–223
Benny Bowles, Kopperston             71-79-73–223
a-Danny Warren, Beckley                 77-74-73–224
Barry Fleming, Poca                          73-76-75–224

 

1984:  Veteran pro Linden Meade of  Chapmanville came from three strokes behind starting the final round to edge pro Ken Lacy of Huntington by one shot for the West Virginia Open title at Fincastle Country Club near Bluefield. Meade shot a 70 on the last day for a 211 total while Lacy finished with a 74 for 212.  Meade said he didn’t know when he passed Lacy but credited his victory to “”three chip shots on 14, 15 and 18 that put me close to the hole for easy putts.”  The Open victory was the second for Meade, who beat Sam Snead in the 1963 tournament.  “”I’d say the first time was the best because I was playing against one of the all-time greats, but this one ranks a close second.  I really feel good about this one because there were so many good young players,” said Meade, 47.   His sons, Greg and Brian, also played in the Open.  Denver Rawlings was the low amateur and finished third overall at 214.  Pro Gary Blake shot the low round of the tournament with a 66 to take the first round lead and wound up tied for fourth at 215.  Leaders by rounds: first, Blake 66, by four; second, Lacy 138, by two.

Linden Meade, Chapmanville               72-69-70–211
Ken Lacy, Huntington                              70-68-74–212
a-Denver Rawlings, Charleston            72-72-70–214
Gary Blake, Belpre, Ohio                         66-75-74–215
Tommy Bird, Bluefield                              73-71-71–215
John Ross, Freeman                               70-70-75–215
Benny Bowles, Kopperston                     74-72-70–216
John Norton (hometown not listed)       73-73-72–218
Billy Capps, Daniels                                 74-70-75–219
Greg Meade, Chapmanville                     71-74-74–219

 

1985:  Pro Buddy Cook got his putter going on the final nine holes to shoot a three-under-par 69 and capture the 52nd West Virginia Open at Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington.  Cook, 59, a former protege of Sam Snead at The Greenbrier, had a 54-hole total of 217 to finish three strokes ahead of four players.  Cook, who began the final round two strokes behind leader Ed Vietmeier, won the tournament with four birdies  on the back nine. Cook sank putts of 25 feet on the 11th green, 18 feet on the 14th, eight feet on the 16th and three feet on the 17th.  “”I rolled it in the hole today, didn’t I?” Cook said after finishing. But he was not aware he had won. “”Who’s winning this thing, anyway?” Cook asked reporters. “”You mean I won the tournament? I won the Open? You’re kidding me.  I don’t believe it,” he said.  Finishing in a tie for second behind Cook were a foursome of pros Vietmeier and Greg Meade and amateurs Chip Yanen and Bill Campbell with 220 totals. Yanen defeated Campbell on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff for the low amateur award.  Leaders by rounds: first, Scott Davis, Benny Bowles and Steve Koreski 72s; second, Vietmeier 146, by one.

Buddy Cook, White Sulphur Springs        73-75-69–217
Greg Meade, Chapmanville                        74-73-73–220
Ed Vietmeier, Charleston                            73-73-74–220
a-Chip Yanen, Moundsville                         76-73-71–220
a-Bill Campbell, Huntington                        73-75-72–220
Steve Koreski, Parkersburg                         72-76-74–222
Benny Bowles, Kopperston                         72-78-72–222
a-John Yarian, Huntington                           75-76-71–222
a-Harold Payne, Scott Depot                       76-74-72–222
a-Kenny Frye, Huntington                            75-74-74–223
a-Reid Carroll, Barboursville                      73-75-75–223
a-Steve Fox, Huntington                               75-76-72–223
Linden Meade, Chapmanville                    76-74-73–223

 

1986:  Harold Payne made a clean sweep of  the year’s two major golf titles in West Virginia by capturing the Open on his home Sleepy Hollow course in Hurricane to go along with the Amateur he won earlier at The Greenbrier. He joined Bill Campbell (1950 and 1955) and Ed Tutwiler (1956) as the only golfers to accomplish the state “”double.”  Payne scorched the par 72 Sleepy Hollow course with 67 and 65 in the first two rounds before settling for 74 on the last day and a 206 total — 10 under par.  “”It’s really nice to win it here at Sleepy Hollow, where I’ve played for 25 years, before a lot of friends,” Payne said. He had one eagle, 15 birdies, five bogeys and one double-bogey in 54 holes. His eagle came when he drove the 279-yard fifth hole and made a 15-foot putt in the first round.  Despite his low scoring, Payne won by just two strokes over pros Ed Vietmeier and Scott Davis. The long-hittingVietmeier, the assistant pro at Edgewood Country Club,  posted two 67 rounds before a 74 on the final day.  Davis shot a 68 in the last round to tie Vietmeier and then beat him with a birdie on the third playoff hole to settlerunnerup honors.  They divided first- and second-place pro money, with each winning $1,085.20.  Leaders by rounds: first, Payne and Vietmeier 67s; second, Payne 132, by two.

a-Harold Payne, Scott Depot                      67-65-74–206
Scott Davis, Hurricane                                 69-71-68–208
Ed Vietmeier, Charleston                            67-67-74–208
Lee Martina, Beckley                                     71-68-72–211
John Ross, Freeman                                    70-69-73–212
a-Chip Yanen, Moundsville                          74-68-73–215
Linden Meade, Chapmanville                     70-74-71–215
Ned Weaver, Weirton                                    73-72-70–215
a-Evans Harbour, South Charleston         73-71-72–216
a-Brian Meade, Chapmanville                    70-68-80–218
Gary Blake, Parkersburg                              71-73-74–218
Matt Cooke, Vienna                                       74-71-73–218

 

1987:   Harold Payne made West Virginia golf  history by becoming the first state player ever to win both the Amateur and the Open in the same season for two consecutive years.  He also became the first amateur to repeat as Open champion. Payne coasted to an eight-stroke victory in the Open at Glade Springs Resort in Daniels.  Payne got off to a slow start with a 75 in the first round but took command with a four-under-par 68 that included five birdies in the second round for a four-shot lead.  He doubled his lead with a 71 in the final round for a 214 total.  Payne said he didn’t dream at the start of  the year that he would capture both major state golf titles for the second straight time.  “”One of my pre-season goals was to win the Amateur again.  I didn’t think there was any way I could win the Open again.  I don’t feel I’m in the same class with some of these pros,” Payne said.  Pro Cleve Coldwater of  Charleston shot 71 in the final round to finish second with a 222 total.   As top pro, Coldwater earned 20 percent of the $7,700 purse for a $1,540 paycheck while Payne was limited to $350 in merchandise as an amateur.  Another amateur, Dennis Vass of Stanaford, shot a 71 for the first round lead and wound up tied for third at 223.  Leaders by rounds: first, Vass 71, by one; second, Payne 143, by four.

a-Harold Payne, Scott Depot               75-68-71–214
Cleve Coldwater, Charleston              77-74-71–222
a-Dennis Vass, Stanaford                   71-77-75–223
Linden Meade, Chapmanville             72-75-76–223
Mike Krulich, Bluefield                          72-77-74–223
Greg Meade, Chapmanville                74-75-74–223
a-Chip Yanen, Moundsville                 75-73-76–224
a-Homer Delovich, Monongah           76-75-74–225
Ron Povick, Sissonville                       74-74-77–225
Ty Roush, Mason                                  75-75-76–226
Scott Davis, Hurricane                         72-77-77–226

 

1988:  Harold Payne, 33, became just the third golfer in state history to capture three straight West Virginia Open titles when he outshot host pros Ned Weaver and Joey Lombardi in the final round at Williams Country Club in Weirton.   Payne fired three steady rounds of  72, 71 and 72 on the par 72 course for a 215 total and a three-stroke victory over Weaver, the head pro at Williams.  Lombardi, the assistant pro at Williams, held a one-stroke lead over Payne and Weaver after two rounds.  Payne birdied the first two holes, including a 40-foot putt on the second green, to take the lead for good in the final round.  Payne then applied the clincher when he sank a lengthy 60-foot putt for a birdie on the 12th green.  “”This one means as much to me as any other championship.  I’m tickled to death because I haven’t played well at all this year.  Whenever you win what I call a major such as this, you wonder if you’ll ever win again,” said Payne, who lost his bid for a third straight Amateur title but pulled it off  in the Open.  Weaver shot a 75 in the last round for a 218 total and claimed the top pro prize of $1,200.  Lombardi settled for a 78 round and a 220 total to finish fourth behind Scott Davis (219).  Sam Snead holds the record for consecutive Open titles with four (1970-73) and also twice won three straight (1936-38 and 1966-68). ClemWiechman also won three straight (1941-43).  Leaders by rounds: first, Weaver 71, by one; second, Lombardi 142, by one.

a–Harold Payne, Scott Depot              72-71-72–215
Ned Weaver, Weirton                            71-72-75–218
Scott Davis, Hurricane                          74-72-73–219
Joey Lombardi, Weirton                       72-70-78–220
a-Steve Fox, Huntington                       72-76-73–221
Cleve Coldwater, Charleston              72-75-75–222
Evans Harbour,  South Charleston    78-75-72–225
Gary Blake, Parkersburg                      76-76-73–225
Benny Bowles, Kopperston                 77-73-75–225
Allen Bailes, Sissonville                       78-71-76–225
Richard Churilla, Wheeling                  75-72-78–225

 

1989:  Amateur Todd Satterfield, 23, of Bluefield birdied the first hole in a sudden-death playoff  to defeat Oak Hill pro Mike White for the Open title at Sleepy Hollow Golf  Club in Hurricane.  Satterfield hit a nine-iron shot from 136 yards to four feet below the pin on the 395-yard first hole and sank the putt.  White’s eight-iron approach shot landed 15 feet above the pin and his putt was wide and long.   Satterfield, a former University of Georgia golfer, shot three straight rounds of  71 on the par 72 course for a 213 total while White carded 71, 70 and 72 rounds for his 213.  Satterfield led by four shots with three holes left in the final round but bogeyed the final two holes while White birdied the 16th and 18th holes, sinking a 15-foot putt on the final green to force the playoff.  Pro Ken Lacy fired a final round 70 to finish a stroke back at 214 with a double-bogey on 17 proving costly. Satterfield, who planned to turn pro in the next month, accepted the amateur limit of a $400 gift certificate while White received the top pro prize of $1,600.  “”I want to thank Todd for being an amateur this week,” said White, who won the Open in 1980.  Harold Payne, who was shooting for his fourth straight title, finished in a tie for eighth at 218.  Leaders by rounds: first, Reid Carroll and Matt Cooke 69s; second, White and Cooke, 141s.

a-Todd Satterfield,  Bluefield         71-71-71–213
Mike White, Oak Hill                        71-70-72–213
Ken Lacy, Huntington                     71-73-70–214
a-Reid Carroll, Huntington            69-74-72–215
Cleve Coldwater, Charleston       70-73-72–215
a-Marty Creed, Hurricane              70-75-71–216
Matt Cooke, Vienna                        69-72-75–216
Robert Thew, Huntington              71-75-72–218
a-Jim Fankhauser, Vienna           73-72-73–218
a-Harold Payne, Scott Depot        75-69-74–218